CitCo leads 3-day cleanup campaign in Belize City

Black Immigrant Daily News

Photo: Mayor Wagner and BDF Personnel on the ground

BELIZE CITY, Fri. Nov. 4, 2022

The landfall of Hurricane Lisa in Belize on Wednesday, November 2, has left in its wake various forms of wreckage— including tons of debris strewn over streets and public areas — in various parts of the city. The storm’s impact includes scores of collapsed homes, broken power lines, zinc torn from rooftops, and thick mud. In a press conference hosted by the Government of Belize on Thursday, November 3, 2022, Mayor Bernard Wagner said that he has visited multiple areas in Belize City, including Port Loyola, Belama and Krooman Lagoon, which have been severely affected, and that the Cabinet has decided to support the council with additional resources to fast-track the cleaning of Belize City.

The Belize City Council and its City Emergency Management Organization (CEMO) Unit will be partnering with the Government of Belize, the National Emergency Management Organization, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing, and other entities to launch a robust 3-day cleanup campaign within Belize City in order to speed up the recovery process and restore a sense of normalcy for residents. In addition to these entities, active partners in this large cleanup campaign will include the Belize Waste Control, the Department of the Environment, the Belize Defense Force, Belize Fire Department, Belize Coast Guard, CISCO Construction, RJB Construction, Imer Hernandez Construction, Teichroeb & Sons Ltd., GEL Quarry Co. Ltd., the Orange Walk Town Council and other supporting municipalities, A&N Construction, and Belize Roadway Construction Ltd. Each partner contributed manpower and equipment, and in total there will be a team of approximately 500 personnel, equipped with a host of trucks, backhoes and chainsaws, involved in the cleanup. The campaign is set to start on Friday, November 4, and continue until Sunday, November 6.

This morning, at the launch of the cleanup campaign, Mayor Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City and chairman of the City Emergency Management Organization, told Amandala, “We will be spread all over the city to really ensure we see the results we’re looking for in service to our affected residents. Having this collaboration with all of these stakeholders means more muscle on the ground, and the residents have been enthusiastic about the launch of the campaign.” According to Mayor Wagner, the large team has been strategically split up into zones to ensure that every area of the city sees improvements. After discussions with the Department of the Environment, the council is also asking residents to separate solid waste from vegetation for the cleaning crews to collect. The cleaning crews will be working with consideration of the curfew hours of 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for the duration of the campaign.

In addition to Mayor Bernard Wagner; Fort George area representative Hon. Henry Charles Usher; Mayor of Orange Walk Town, Ladrick Sheppard; and Belize City Councillors Kaya Cattouse, Deannie Requena and Edmund Kwan were present at the launch of the cleanup campaign.

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